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Walden glowered at Miki, then turned his withering stare on Gentry. "The bastard blames me for Madeline being sick. I love Madeline. I didn't hurt her."

  Miki felt Gentry was no longer aware of her presence. His glare seared into Walden.

  Gentry said, "Sanchez told me she was hit in the belly. That's why her tubes were blocked and why she had a problem with her pregnancy. Sanchez told you not to get her pregnant, that she'd have a problem."

  "Not true. I never hit Madeline. Ask Elsie, she would know if I did. Madeline told her everything. He never told us not to get pregnant." Walden paused. "Why didn't you tell me this before?"

  "Sanchez said Madeline didn't want me to know. I promised to keep quiet," Gentry said.

  "Did he tell you there was a problem when Katie was born?

  "No." Gentry shook his head. "She was born here. I would have known if there was a problem."

  "When Sanchez did the C-section, he started to tie one of Madeline's tubes. The nurse stopped him. Guess having a tubal ligation after a C-section isn't uncommon. He forgot she wasn't getting a tubal. He worked it awhile, using tiny forceps and ultra-fine suture to reconnect the severed ends of her fallopian tubes. Said he thought the lumen was open, good as new. That's what I read in the surgical report in her chart, anyway. He didn't tell us until after she was pregnant again. Acted sorry. Said if the pregnancy came from the left ovary, there was a good chance it would be tubal. Elsie knows about it. Ask her that, too, while you're at it. We started using another doctor in the group, didn't trust Sanchez anymore. Then the night Madeline got sick, Sanchez came in. He was on ER call, and there was no one else available. We didn't have a choice but to accept him."

  Gentry scowled.

  Miki said, "I don't understand why you allowed Sanchez to visit Madeline every day."

  Walden's smile looked sad. "Part of the deal. He had to visit her every day. I wanted him to see what he'd done, to never forget. We fell into a pattern of talking about her."

  Miki walked toward the door. "I'm going to leave you two to sort through your issues. Do me a favor and don't kill each other. I've got rounds to make. First, I'll stop by the OR, check on Katie, and give you a call." She pointed toward a telephone. "On the first extension."

  While Miki waited for the elevator, she pondered the similarity in the two men's desire for in-your-face revenge. Gentry compelled Troicki to deal with him at every meeting, and Walden forced the doctor to visit Madeline. The two men should get along well, she thought, if they can ever agree on anything.

  As the elevator door closed, Miki heard the hateful timbre of Walden's shouting.

  23

  When Walden exited the elevator on the sixth floor, Wilma Carlson, his favorite continuing care nurse and good friend, rushed to meet him.

  "How's Katie doing?" She engulfed him in her thick arms. "I heard she was in the OR."

  He returned the hug, finding comfort from Carlson's ample body. "Miki went into surgery to check on her a few minutes ago. She told my father-in-law and me the cleanup was almost done and the drains were in place. I guess Katie will be finished soon. I thought I'd wait here. My mother is in the surgical waiting room. She'll call when the doctor comes in to talk to us."

  "I've already settled Madeline for the night. You go on in, and I'll bring you a cup of coffee." She released him and stepped back.

  "Don't bother. I'll just sit with my wife. Maybe doze a little so I can stay awake tonight with my Katie."

  "Won't your mother want to be with Katie, too?" Carlson's eyes narrowed.

  "Sure, but I won't let her. I want her to go home and rest. She's not as healthy as she'd like to think she is. She has heart disease. Had rheumatic fever as a kid, and now she's having problems. It's only a matter of time until she needs at least one valve replaced."

  Carlson exhaled in a whoosh, an inkling of frustration crossing her face. "Wow, John. Seems like your whole family is having problems. You have your hands full. I wish I could do something to make things easier for you."

  "You do. When you're here, I know everything will be good for the shift. That's enough for me." Walden made his way into Madeline's room with Carlson following close behind. He dropped into the chair she pulled out for him, then propped his feet on the foot of the bed.

  "I'll leave you to it then. Call if you want anything. It's quiet tonight. I've got plenty of time for you." She turned toward the door, then stopped and pivoted to face Walden. "Did you say Miki talked to you and Gentry?"

  "Yes."

  "You two getting along?" She lowered her chin and peered at him over the top of her wire-framed spectacles.

  "We're talking. He had some misconceptions. I had some, too. He's still a bastard, and I can't wait for him to take his sorry ass to Virginia."

  Carlson rolled her eyes.

  He watched as she left. Though she was a large woman and appeared older than her thirty-five years, she always wore fashionable, pressed uniforms, and kept her tight curls clipped close to her head. Gold, button earrings the size of quarters glowed against her dark skin. Over the last several months, Walden and Carlson had developed a warm friendship and even dined together a couple of times.

  He closed his eyes, pictured Katie getting off the bus, and focused on her smile, the one she flashed when she saw him waiting. "Madeline," he said, taking her hand, "our baby girl is in trouble tonight." He recited the events of the late afternoon and evening. "Katie gives me a reason to continue in this world. Without her, without you, how could I survive? Why would I even want to?

  "Sweetheart, I talked to Dr. Levine this afternoon. Things aren't good at the moment. She said you have evidence of kidney failure. It started a while ago, but I didn't tell you then. I thought things would get better." He paused and dabbed at a tear. "I know it's a sign you won't be with me long. You're slipping away, a little each day."

  He paused, opened his eyes, and gazed at Madeline. He felt her brow and studied her flat expression. "I can't hear you talking to me anymore. I wonder if I imagined it. Or am I losing you? Has that part of you, your link to me, already died?" Tears welled in his eyes, overflowed, and rolled over his stubbly cheeks.

  Carlson entered the room, rattling the door.

  Walden wiped his face with his forearm. He stared at Carlson, embarrassed by his emotion, but, deep within, not caring if she saw him cry.

  "Miki Murphy called from surgery a minute ago. Katie is being transported to pediatric ICU, bypassing the recovery room altogether. Both the surgeon and the anesthesiologist are going along upstairs. Miki said for you to get your mother. The doctor will meet you outside the unit as soon as Katie is settled."

  Walden dropped his head into his hands, then raised it to find Carlson's eyes with his, pleading for more information.

  "I don't know what's going on. Miki said the doctors decided to go directly upstairs because there are a couple other patients in recovery and only two nurses. Maybe it's for convenience, not because anything is wrong."

  "Please, God." As Walden wept, his bony shoulders hunched, and loud sobs filled the room.

  Carlson wrapped an arm around his shoulder, and he buried his wet face in her uniform.

  She said, "Pull yourself together. You must be strong for Katie."

  He stood, blotted his face on the sleeve of his scrub shirt, and muttered his thanks. Then he left at a trot, running the stairs to the first floor rather than waiting for the elevator.

  He met his father-in-law rounding the corner to the surgical waiting room. Walden scowled, stepped around the older man, and used his upper arm to open the door. His mother stood to meet him.

  Elsie's eyes registered surprise when Gentry followed Walden in.

  Gentry said, "We're supposed to meet Johnson outside the Pedi ICU. They're taking Katie there now."

  Walden glared at Gentry. "What do you mean, we?"

  "I'm coming along. Like it or not." Gentry stepped closer to Walden, stopping about a foot from his face. "We talked about this. We agreed."

/>   "I don't have to like it, you son of a bitch."

  Gentry tipped his head to the side and shrugged.

  Walden offered an arm to his mother, helping her stand. "Let's go to the second floor. We'll find out about Katie." He slipped his car key from his pocket. "Here, take this. After we see Katie, you can go home. I'll spend the night with her."

  "I can stay. I want to be with her."

  "No. Go home, rest, and I'll see you in the morning. Then I can go home and sleep awhile. We'll do shifts."

  Gentry touched Elsie's shoulder. "I agree with him. You'll be better for Katie if you're rested. We can't afford to have you getting sick, too."

  Elsie nodded her agreement.

  Walden escorted Elsie out and ushered her into a nearby elevator, allowing Gentry to step in first.

  "How's Madeline?" Elsie turned to face her son.

  "Not good today. No movement. No expression. I'm losing her, one little piece at a time." Walden noticed Gentry stepped back and used the wall for support. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a wave of anguish cross Gentry's face.

  Gentry said, his voice cracking, "She's my daughter. Like Katie is yours. I hate seeing her like that. I'd rather she be dead."

  Walden turned and slammed his fist into Gentry's belly. As Gentry crumbled to the floor, the elevator door opened.

  Elsie said, her expression aghast, "John, how could you hit him? He's only saying what the rest of us think. You have to know Madeline can't continue to live in the condition she's in. It's not fair to her, or to Katie, or to you."

  Grabbing his mother's arm, Walden eased her from the elevator.

  Gentry grunted. "You flaming asshole."

  Walden pushed the button for the sixth floor as he stepped out, sending the elevator, with his father-in-law in it, upward.

  After striding past his mother, Walden tapped the entry code into the lock on the general pediatrics unit door. The Pedi ICU was a small area on the far side, accessible through the main door. When the mechanism clicked, he pushed the door open, stepped into the inner hallway, and held the door long enough for his mother to catch it. Then he strode down the hall, lengthening his distance from his mother with every step. He stopped in front of the ICU doors and pushed the intercom button.

  "May I help you?"

  "This is John Walden. I'm here waiting for Dr. Johnson."

  "I'll tell him you're here."

  "How's my Katie?"

  "Still sedated."

  Elsie touched his hand. "John—"

  "Go in the waiting room, please." He pointed to an open door on his left. "I don't want to talk to you right now."

  "I—"

  "Damn it, Mother. Leave me alone."

  Walden paced back and forth across the eight-foot corridor until the double doors swung open and Dr. Johnson appeared. His disheveled brown hair and sweat-stained, olive-green scrubs testified to his efforts for the last three hours.

  Johnson said, "She'll be fine. I believe her appendix ruptured the first time a few days ago, caused a small leak into the abdomen, then resealed itself. She has a lot of inflamed tissue in her belly, but everything except the appendix appears to be intact. I put in two drains, and we've started her on IV antibiotics. She's awake and asking for you and her grandma. You can both go in and see her now."

  Walden glanced over his shoulder and saw Elsie. "Thank you, Dr. Johnson. Thank you for saving my little girl."

  "You're welcome, son. Go in now. She's in the first bed on the left."

  "You go in first. I'll be along in a minute," Elsie said. "Here comes Al with Miki Murphy. I want to be sure he's not hurt."

  Walden cursed under his breath, pushed the Open Door button on the wall, and stepped through the doors.

  24

  "Elsie." Miki thought the older woman looked spent. "Is Katie settled?"

  "I believe so." Elsie steadied herself with the corridor handrail. "The doctor spoke to John. He's inside with Katie now. I need to give him a few minutes to calm himself, and I want to check on Al."

  "Why?"

  Gentry held a palm in the air. "Hang on a minute, ladies. You're talking about me like I'm not even here." He turned to Miki. "The boy and I had an altercation, and he socked me. But to answer your concern," he faced Elsie, "I'm fine. He caught me off guard, that's all. Next time I'll be prepared."

  "Darn," Miki said. "I was hoping you two found some resolution."

  Gentry frowned. "We cleared the air and got some things in the open. I don't suppose we'll ever get along, but maybe we'll cooperate for the good of our girls."

  "That would be something at least." Elsie motioned toward the Pedi ICU door. "I'm going in to see Katie. When I'm done, I'll go home like John wants. You'll be able to go in for a while then, if John allows it."

  "Oh, he'll allow it," Gentry snarled.

  Elsie grimaced. "Please don't do anything to stir him up. I love my son, but he's been uptight since Madeline got sick." Elsie turned to leave. "I won't be too long. All of a sudden, I'm very tired."

  Miki watched Elsie walk away. "What happened with you and John?"

  Gentry stepped back and grabbed the handrail. He slipped the other hand inside his suit coat, rubbed his abdomen, and told Miki the story. "I'm worried about the kid's mental health. In my opinion, it's more than being uptight."

  Miki said, "He is erratic at times. For the most part, though, he functions well, seems serious about raising Katie properly, and is attentive to Madeline. It's a lot for a young man to handle. You know about that. You said so yourself less than two hours ago."

  "If you ask me," Gentry said, "he's not managing it well. He's slipping off the mark, one temper tantrum at a time."

  "Maybe he needs more support. I know Elsie helps him, but maybe you could be more supportive as well. The rest of us, too."

  "Could be." Gentry stood straight, dropping his arms to his sides. "Moving on. You and I have some catching up to do."

  "Perhaps." Miki felt an inkling of hope that morphed to a stab of distrust.

  "I'll be staying around until Katie is on her feet, maybe giving Elsie an assist until Katie is back in school."

  Miki thought Elsie could manage Katie's daily care without help and wondered where the conversation was going. She raised her eyes to Gentry's face. "And?"

  "Perhaps you'd have dinner with me. Are you working this weekend?"

  "I'm not."

  "Are you free tomorrow night?"

  "As friends?"

  "We can start there if it's what you want. You know I've always been fond of you."

  Fond? Miki thought, then decided she'd listen to what he had to say. "I'll have dinner with you—" Her cell phone vibrated in her pocket. She checked the screen. "Al, I've got to run. The police are in the ER waiting to talk to me. It's been a long day, and the night has only begun. The last people I want to talk to are those two annoying detectives."

  Gentry put an arm around Miki's shoulder, restraining her without force. "You can handle it. You're a strong woman. I'll pick you up tomorrow evening at eight."

  Miki slipped from his embrace. "I'm living in the same apartment."

  "Club Caprice. On 441."

  "Apartment one-hundred. Building M. You'll need to dial the code at the gate, and I'll buzz you in. Take the second right, then right at the dead end. I'm on the far west side of the complex."

  "Miki, I remember. How could I forget?"

  Gentry headed toward the Pedi ICU's double doors, and Miki hurried toward the central stairwell.

  She skipped downward, keeping her eyes on the steps below. She didn't want to delay the detectives any longer than necessary, and though she had already made rounds and knew the status of the various areas, she needed to get the meeting over as fast as possible. It was Friday night, and the ER was certain to be bursting with the ill and maimed within the hour.

  When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she glanced at her watch. Eleven forty-five. She wondered why the detectives were working so lat
e. Based on comments she'd heard, she knew they'd been in the hospital most of the day interviewing employees. They'd waited for the evening shift to come on duty to talk with them rather than going to their homes. Perhaps they had a couple of follow-up questions for her since she had found the body and was present at the start of their investigation.

  Miki entered the ER through the back door, approaching the nursing station from the rear. She saw Jo Ephraim in the physician's dictation area and stopped. "Jo. Hello."'

  "The detectives are waiting for you at the desk."

  "I know. Did you talk to them?"

  "Sure did." She shook her head, sending her curly ponytail swaying over her shoulders. "They're like mean dogs with a bloody bone."

  "Given what we found this morning, I understand their point of view."

  "Perhaps you won't understand so well after you've talked with them. You'd better hurry. They weren't as nice as this morning."

  Miki thought of their behavior as more brusque than nice. "Oh. What did they want?"

  "Just go. Maybe I can tell you later. I have to get this chart dictated, the patient discharged, and the lobby emptied. Cavanaugh and Quinlan got me off stride. Now I'm playing catch up."

  As she stepped away, Miki glanced over her shoulder at Ephraim, who was staring into space and twirling her hair between two fingers. Feeling rejected, she slipped into the nursing station area, approaching the officers from across the chest high counter. "How can I help you, Detectives?"

  "Is there somewhere we can talk for a few minutes in private?" Cavanaugh said.

  "I guess we can go to the nursing office."

  "There's no place private in this department?" Quinlan said, sounding drained. "We'd like to get done."

  "I understand, detectives. I'd like you to get finished here as well."

  Cavanaugh raised her brows, at first seeming startled, then offended.

  In a rush, Miki said, "I didn't mean that like it sounded. I meant you've had a long day, as have we all. I have a long night ahead of me."

  "I'm sorry if a little thing like the brutal murder of one of your colleagues is upsetting your schedule, Ms. Murphy. Let's just get on with it." Quinlan stepped away from the counter. "Which way?"